Day Seven – Chakras and Productivity

The Seventh Chakra, called Sahasrara, is the 1,000 petal lotus at the crown of the head. This is the area of true inspiration and purpose. Some would call it our connection to the divine. Maybe Plato would have called it the realm of the true rather than the reflected. Did you ever have the feeling that you just know that you know? It comes from being connected to our higher self. This is not only valuable for the spiritual quester. When we want to make real things happen in the world, it pays to be in alignment with our calling or raison d’être. There are all the clichés in project management and business consulting about ‘the 50,000 ft’ view. That altitude comes from the seventh chakra. When our projects are stuck in this area we feel uninspired and without direction. We ask ourselves on a deep level ‘Why am I doing this?’, ‘How can I align this action with my sense of purpose?’ When that alignment is lacking we feel stuck, in a rut, disengaged. We feel like our work has no value or impact for the world.

So how do we put it all together, from Chakra 1 at the base to Chakra 7 at the summit and back again? Let’s look at the chart we had at the beginning of our journey.

Some of our projects start like trees, we plant them firmly in the soil of the first chakra, get a solid foundation and water them with the fluidity and energy of second chakra. As it takes shape, the strong core of our will combines with the heart that comes from working with others and we have Chakras three and four engaged. We get out there communicating our vision and listening to the feedback that comes with trial and error, inspiring our collaborators, stakeholders, investors and anyone involved. That gets us lined up with chakras five and six. We draw on the wisdom, experience and power of the calling we feel for completing what we started and with a solid connection from bottom to top, our tree or project, has taken root, sprouted, grown, weathered the wind and rain, lifted toward the sun and stretched out. The Bottom Up approach.

Some of our ideas are like bolts of lightning that come straight in through our highest inspiration in the seventh chakra, we imagine a final product, complete with every detail, we get to talking with our cohort to find out whatever there is to learn about making this idea a reality. We have a strong gut feeling that we can get it done and engage every connection and relationship we have to muster resources and energy toward creating our dream. We get all our power and will behind our idea, without dominating or alienating our allies and through our sweat and hard work we manifest our creation. The Top Down approach.

Sometimes we start somewhere in the middle. A group gets together and starts brainstorming and creating. A strong emotion or desire to solve an issue that started as something personal (I think many inventions begin this way). Regardless of where along the chakra continuum the impetus begins, our success in completing the ideas, dreams, projects, objectives in which we are engaged, comes from getting ourselves aligned and balanced throughout the whole of the process. Action without inspiration will get things done, but are they the right things? Inspiration without action is no more than navel gazing. Our goal is taking the purpose and vision through to fruition and tangible, impactful results.